Detroit Mayor Dave Bing is addressing residents tonight about the city's financial troubles. And he answered one looming question right off the bat:
“Let me make one thing perfectly clear: I don’t want an emergency manager making decisions for my city,” Bing said.
He said his administration has eliminated 2,000 positions since he took office, but more needs to be done to keep the city out of receivership.
“I refuse to sugar-coat the situation or kick the can down the road, expecting someone else to fix our problems,” the mayor said.
Bing also said he won't allow the city's police and fire departments to be gutted. "I will not allow criminals free reign over our city," Bing said - but in the next breath added that officers and firefighters need to accept the same 10 percent pay cut other city employees have had to swallow.
Here's a link to the report the mayor's office commissioned that shows the city could run out of cash by spring.
Michigan Radio's Sarah Cwiek will have more details on Bing's speech tomorrow on Morning Edition.
